COVID-19 Infection Control Using H2O2 Mouth Wash and Nasal Spray

Hydrogen peroxide is produced physiologically by oral bacteria and plays a significant role in the balance of oral microecology since it is an important antimicrobial agent. In the epithelial cells, the enzyme superoxide dismutase catalyzes a reaction leading from hydrogen peroxide to the ion superoxide. The induced oxidative stress stimulates a local innate response via activation of the toll-like receptors and the NF-κB. Those kinds of reactions are also activated by viral infections. Virus-induced oxidative stress plays an important role in the regulation of the host immune system and the specific oxidant-sensitive pathway is one of the effective strategies against viral infections. Therefore, nose/mouth/throat washing with hydrogen peroxide may enhance those local innate responses to viral infections. The investigators hypothesised that a treatment with a mouth wash and a nasal spray containing a diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide may accelerate the negativisation rate of a positive PCR swab test for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).